Update about dental services during the Covid-19 Pandemic

COVID-19: An Update on our Availability

We are excited to be moving into Alert Level 2 on Thursday 14th May. This will mean from 8am Thursday we will be open for normal business – including all your dental check-ups, hygienist appointments and of course any dental emergencies. Our staff all have PPE gear to ensure their safety and the safety of our customers. There is sanitiser at the desk which we ask all our customers to use on arrival.

While we are still on the final days of COVID-19 Alert Level 3 State of Emergency, providing urgent and emergency dental treatment is an essential service. We must all work thorough responsibly together for the benefit of our New Zealanders.

We are to open to look after our wonderful community and have been advised by the Canterbury District Health Board to triage phone calls at our private practice and only to see what may be categorized an emergency or urgent condition such as;

Dental Conditions: which could lead to an acute illness in a medically vulnerable patient or immune-suppressed patient.

Toothache: Severe pain or infection that cannot be managed by medication first.

A. If you feel you have a dental emergency Please be advised that we may not be able to see you without appropriate advice. It is very important that we protect other members of the community and us so we kindly request you to respect this.

B. If you feel you fit the criteria for emergency dental care and are either a patient of our practice or unable to get in touch with your practice.

COVID-19 is spread by air-borne aerosols and that is a very big risk to dental professionals. Please note that most of the dental procedures are Aerosol Generating Procedures such as use of High Speed Drills used for fillings, Crowns, root canals and scaling etc. The plan is to Keep it Simple and do our best to try not to create this aerosol. That means we would mainly do the following such as Prescribing antibiotics and pain relief, perform simple extractions and Temporary fillings.

Please bear in mind that we are working with a limited crew to stay within our bubble and we apologise for any inconvenience or delays if encountered. If you have an appointment time, please arrive at the scheduled time and please remain in your car until a staff member signals you to come in, so as to minimize waiting in the reception.

We remain committed to the safety and well-being of our community, our patients, staff and their families. We are also very grateful to you for your understanding at this difficult time. Please help us by following the protocols defined above.